Daily Rituals

This was going to be a piece about healthy foods…but then I thought, “there are probably about a bajillion of those…so no.” Humans beings are creatures of habit; rituals are the ways we spend our everyday. Whether we spend 4-8 hours of it working or whether we make a specific ritual out of sticking needles in cloth dolls slightly resembling someone – it is a ritual all the same (don’t actually do that last one).

Typically one rises in the morning time and will have their coffee, or tea, or…whatever you have…maybe some breakfast and HOPEFULLY a shower. Wake yourself up and start out positively. Listening to music 24/7 always helps me, but I know we can’t always do that. The morning is obviously the best time to plan out the rest of your day (cuz you can’t really do it in the evening) unless you do it the evening previous…then you’re what we call an “over achiever”. Or just a businesswoman/man.

Even though this isn’t a piece on healthy foods, this part is about healthy rituals: Being healthy seems like one of those fads that you read about in the magazines in line in the grocery store – because you do. But really – it isn’t a fad! Diets are fads. And a misuse of the actual definition of diet, btw, I digress. Honestly, everyone already knows that becoming a healthier human resides in the ritual of choosing to eat “healthier” foods, regular exercise, and staying motivated. That last one is the pits for me. I am no good at that. I love eating healthy foods and exercise can be really fun! But I am no good at wanting to do all that if I am just not that stoked to do it.

SOME people don’t work…ahem. Thus, these people (I mean myself of course) have all day to bask in their morning rituals. Oh and I do. In the morning I wake up around the time that the boyfriend is going to work, I spend some time with him before he leaves for the day, and then see him off. I make myself about a gallon of coffee (or warm up whatever I didn’t finish the day before) and come to sit at my glorious coffee table. I love my coffee table; although it is old, and undoubtedly beyond repair. It is an oval drop leaf coffee table with a thin layer of leather pressed on top of it. We thought it was all wooden because it has what looks like a golden inlay around the edges, but if you EVER spill water on it – you just wipe up brown leather. I DIGRESS. Cue coffee, then I slightly open the blinds to let in a little sun, put a vinyl on the record player and plug it into the boyfriend’s soundbar so that I can blast that bitch. I have to consume roughly 2-4 cups of coffee before I can even think about “starting” my day.

Some people have cleaning rituals, things they do before they clean. My own personal cleaning ritual happens annually. I get the serious cleaning bug about once or twice a year (if I’m lucky) and I tornado clean everything – with coffee in hand. It’s kinda like being told to do something right when you were about to do it; “Well, now I don’t wanna…” that’s the feeling I have most of the time. Some days I get lucky as an adult – and I clean like the dickens. I should say that has yet to happen in my new apartment. Although today I cleaned a ton of dishes, and made brunch for the both of us without too much effort or any assistance. Yeah, I’m gonna pat myself on the back for that.

Many of us have our own unique writing rituals that we follow when we sit down to write our pieces. Many of you have it all together and planned out a month in advance what you’re gonna write about a day at a time, some of you maybe take a weeks out approach. And some of us plan our pieces the night before like rushing to finish homework. Others write the day of – our pieces requiring little to no research or background work. Despite how we plan our posts, our rituals are how we sit and ready ourselves for the write. I try to always sit in a more secluded place, with headphones (& music) on. I look over my outline for my piece, and the research I’ve done on the piece (if required), and with a deep breath and a clear head I begin to type. Sometimes it doesn’t flow so easily, you know? You know. So I use a tactic I was taught when I wrote in AP style in Journalism; just start typing paragraph by paragraph, no particular order (you can rearrange that later). Getting your ideas down is the most important part (especially when you’re on a deadline).

Rituals are a part of every culture; participating in them is usually very intimate to the person and activity. What are some of your unique rituals?

If you read my last blog, you still have time to be the winner of the Passion Planner giveaway! Don’t waste time – the giveaway closes at 8pm Eastern

Have a goodnight.